A baby hammerhead shark reportedly fell onto Hole 11 at a Myrtle Beach disc-golf course on May 18, 2025, after an osprey carrying it was chased by two crows. The bird-and-prey explanation is plausible, but the shark’s exact species and survival were never confirmed.
What looked like an ordinary fish dropping onto a Myrtle Beach disc-golf course was reportedly a baby hammerhead shark—apparently dropped by an osprey during a chase with two crows.
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The unusual encounter happened on the morning of May 18, 2025, at Hole 11 of Splinter City Disc Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Jonathan Marlowe told ABC News that he and three friends were playing when they noticed an osprey carrying what appeared to be prey. Two crows pursued the osprey into nearby trees. After the chase, the bird released or lost its catch, which fell onto the course.
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When the golfers went to investigate, they reportedly realized the animal was a small hammerhead shark measuring about one foot long.
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How could a shark have fallen onto a golf course?
The likely explanation is much less mysterious than the headline: an osprey probably caught the shark near the coast and then dropped it while being harassed by the crows. Ospreys are fish-eating birds, so carrying a small marine animal is consistent with their normal hunting behavior.
That sequence remains a reported explanation rather than a scientifically documented observation. No independent video, examination of the shark, or official wildlife investigation was reported. The witnesses saw the osprey with its prey, saw the crows chase it, and then found the shark after it fell. On that account, an osprey dropping its catch is the most plausible explanation—but it should not be presented as laboratory-confirmed fact.
The location makes the event geographically possible. ABC News reported that Splinter City is adjacent to Myrtle Beach State Park and approximately half a mile from the ocean. That distance could allow an osprey to carry a small fish or shark inland, although the reports do not establish exactly where the bird caught it.
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Was it definitely a hammerhead shark?
The golfers identified the animal as a baby hammerhead, but the exact species was not confirmed. Several hammerhead species occur in waters off South Carolina and Georgia, including bonnetheads, scalloped hammerheads, and great hammerheads. The Carolina hammerhead has also been recognized as a distinct species.
Without a specimen examination or authoritative species identification, the careful description is simply “a baby hammerhead shark.” It would be inaccurate to label it a great hammerhead, scalloped hammerhead, bonnethead, or Carolina hammerhead based only on the available witness account.
Did the shark survive the fall?
No one has confirmed what happened to it. The golfers were unsure whether the shark was alive when it landed. They considered carrying it roughly half a mile to the ocean but decided against attempting the trip because they believed the journey was unlikely to save it.
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The available reporting does not document a rescue, a return to the sea, intervention by a wildlife agency, or a necropsy. That means the shark’s fate is unresolved: it should not be described as definitely alive or definitely dead.
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Splinter City Disc Golf Course opened in December 2020 in Myrtle Beach. The 18-hole course is across from Warbird Park and was developed through cooperation between Horry County and the City of Myrtle Beach. WMBF reported that the course is free to play, but visitors must bring their own discs.
The shark was reportedly found at Hole 11. The incident involved Marlowe and three friends, while the apparent aerial drama involved one osprey and two crows.
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Not a weather event—and not a “Sharknado”
“Fell from the sky” is an accurate description of what the golfers saw, but it does not mean a storm, tornado, aircraft, or prank was involved. The reported circumstances point to a natural predator-prey event: an osprey carrying a small shark, followed by interference from crows and the loss of the prey.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThere is a precedent for the basic mechanism. In a 2012 ABC News report, a small shark was found on a California golf course, and an osprey was considered the likely carrier after puncture marks were observed near the shark’s gills. That earlier incident helps show how a fish-eating bird could transport a small shark, but it does not independently verify the details of the 2025 Myrtle Beach account.
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What we know—and what remains unknown
| Question | Best-supported answer |
|---|---|
| When did it happen? | May 18, 2025. |
| Where? | Hole 11 at Splinter City Disc Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. |
| Who saw it? | Jonathan Marlowe and three friends, according to Marlowe’s account. |
| What carried the animal? | An osprey apparently carried it; the account is not independently verified. |
| Why did it fall? | The osprey was reportedly chased into trees by two crows and then dropped or lost its prey. |
| What kind of shark was it? | A small hammerhead, with no confirmed species identification. |
| Was it alive? | Unknown. |
| What happened afterward? | No confirmed rescue, release, or official examination was reported. |
The strangest part of the story is therefore also the part that should be stated most carefully. A group of disc golfers reportedly found a roughly one-foot hammerhead after an osprey appeared to drop it during a crow chase. The event is plausible, the witness account is specific, and the ocean was nearby—but the shark’s species and fate remain unknown.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did a hammerhead shark fall onto a Myrtle Beach disc-golf course?
A group of four disc golfers reportedly saw an osprey carrying prey near Hole 11. Two crows chased the osprey into trees, and the bird apparently dropped or lost its catch. The golfers then identified the fallen animal as a small hammerhead shark.
What species of hammerhead shark was it?
No. Reports described it as a baby hammerhead about one foot long, but no authoritative species identification was reported. It should not be called a great hammerhead, scalloped hammerhead, bonnethead, or Carolina hammerhead without additional evidence.
Did the shark survive?
Its fate was not confirmed. The witnesses were unsure whether it was alive when it fell and decided not to carry it the approximately half mile to the ocean. No verified rescue or wildlife-agency response was reported.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: The reported “shark from the sky” was probably a small hammerhead carried by an osprey and dropped when two crows chased the bird over a Myrtle Beach disc-golf course. The exact species and whether the shark survived were never confirmed.
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